State exco member Elizabeth Wong said they can only see if there was any difference in the number of plastic bags used over the next six months.

The “No Plastic Bag Day” campaign, previously held every Saturday since 2010, was extended to every day of the week starting Jan 1 this year.

This after research revealed that 71% of Selangorians felt implementing the move once a week was insufficient.

“It will take some time before the public gets used to it. We will give them time and see what comes out of it,” Wong told FMT.

In December, Wong, who is also tourism, environment, green technology and consumer affairs committee chairman, announced that all retailers in Selangor would no longer provide polystyrene containers and free single-use plastic bags come Jan 1.

Local council by-laws, she said, had been revised to support the policy and retailers must agree to go plastic-free when applying for or renewing their licences.

Customers are charged 20 sen for each plastic bag they require and the money is channelled to charitable bodies or consumerism programmes and environmental conservation efforts.

On a related note, Wong said the public can lodge a report with the local councils if they know of retailers who do not charge 20 sen for plastic bags.